Suggestion Box - Tracking Favorite Topics

[tmariar]

Just something for the suggestion box - don't know how much demand there is or how difficult it would be to implement:

I'd personally get a lot of use from a feature that would allow me to flag specific topics that would then show up on a (member-unique) new-posts screen separate from the general new-posts screen - maybe a screen I could access under "My Assistant". I'd probably still most frequently check the general new-posts screen when checking the forum, but it would be great to also be able to check quickly for any new posts on a subset of "favorite" topics. (Sometimes I miss posts on topics that aren't very active but are important to me, and sometimes I'm interested in following just a handful of active topics without searching through the list of new posts on other active topics.)

I know that there is a "track forum" function that will email me when new posts appear on topics I choose for tracking. I used that function for a short while but ended up canceling most of the tracking requests because I was getting too many emails and found I didn't really need/want immediate notification. (I've since had all such emails sent to a secondary email address, and find the "track forum" function somewhat useful - if not ideal - in tracking new posts on topics that aren't very active but are important to me.)

Again, just something on my wish list - not a criticism of any kind.

[Mr. Chenevert]

Not an answer to your question, but you may want to try the Daily Email Digest so you dont get so many emails.

Daily Email Digest

This option will send out a daily digest showing all new replies or topics for that day

[bachanon]

Just something for the suggestion box - don't know how much demand there is or how difficult it would be to implement:

I'd personally get a lot of use from a feature that would allow me to flag specific topics that would then show up on a (member-unique) new-posts screen separate from the general new-posts screen - maybe a screen I could access under "My Assistant". I'd probably still most frequently check the general new-posts screen when checking the forum, but it would be great to also be able to check quickly for any new posts on a subset of "favorite" topics. (Sometimes I miss posts on topics that aren't very active but are important to me, and sometimes I'm interested in following just a handful of active topics without searching through the list of new posts on other active topics.)

I know that there is a "track forum" function that will email me when new posts appear on topics I choose for tracking. I used that function for a short while but ended up canceling most of the tracking requests because I was getting too many emails and found I didn't really need/want immediate notification. (I've since had all such emails sent to a secondary email address, and find the "track forum" function somewhat useful - if not ideal - in tracking new posts on topics that aren't very active but are important to me.)

Again, just something on my wish list - not a criticism of any kind.

on yelp.com, the forum tracking email includes the latest post, rather than just a notice. it includes a link if you'd like to view the entire conversation. i've found that this saves time. however, i've wished for a function like you describe on haif. i find myself pouring over every recent thread looking for threads that i want to follow. fortunately, this leads me to threads i would've otherwise not noticed.

perhaps our esteemed editor will have input on this matter. good suggestion.

[tmariar]

Not an answer to your question, but you may want to try the Daily Email Digest so you dont get so many emails.

An excellent suggestion - thanks. I'll do that.

If I'm tracking one or a few active topics, though, it would still be handy to have a screen I could refresh at will that isn't as busy as the general new-posts screen. And I'd still rather be able to do long-term tracking quickly on HAIF rather than through email - just seems more efficient that way.

[editor]

I'll put it in as a feature request with the company that makes the forum software. It's a little beyond my individual programming abilities.

[editor]

Four months later, we have a reply. The feature you requested is in there, but it's just not obvious. Here's the official word:

If you "subscribe" to a topic, you can select "none" for the notification type. Then go to My Controls -> View Topics and you can see if there are new posts by looking at the topic icon (just like in a regular forum). This sounds like what they are looking for (and it's already available).

[ricco67]

That's pretty cool, ed. I was wondering how to do that, as well as "ignore" some other topics from coming up that I don't have any interest in.

Thanks for the info, Ed.